Joshua 15:24 kjv
Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth,
Joshua 15:24 nkjv
Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
Joshua 15:24 niv
Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
Joshua 15:24 esv
Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
Joshua 15:24 nlt
Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
Joshua 15 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 12:7 | "Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, 'To your offspring I will give this land...'" | God's initial promise of land to Abraham. |
| Gen 15:18 | "On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, 'To your descendants I give this land...'" | Covenantal promise of land. |
| Gen 26:3 | "Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you...for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands..." | Promise reaffirmed to Isaac. |
| Num 34:2 | "Command the people of Israel, and say to them, 'When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance...'" | Divine instruction for land division. |
| Deut 1:8 | "See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them." | Command to possess the promised land. |
| Deut 3:20 | "until the LORD gives rest to your brothers, as he has given it to you, and they also take possession of the land..." | Division of land as an act of divine rest. |
| Josh 13:7 | "Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh." | Mandate to apportion the land. |
| Josh 14:1 | "These are the inheritances that the people of Israel received in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel distributed to them." | Confirmation of distributed inheritance. |
| Josh 15:1 | "The allotment for the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans reached southward to the boundary of Edom..." | Judah's initial land boundary definition. |
| Josh 15:20 | "This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah according to their clans." | Introduction to Judah's detailed inheritance. |
| Josh 19:51 | "These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel distributed by lot..." | Overall completion of land distribution. |
| Judg 2:6 | "When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land." | People settling into their inheritance. |
| 1 Sam 23:14 | "And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of Ziph..." | Ziph (though different locale) as a named place in Judah. |
| 1 Sam 23:24 | "So they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon." | Reference to the "wilderness of Ziph." |
| 1 Sam 27:8 | "Now David and his men went up and made raids on the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt. And David would strike the land and leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels, and garments, and come back to Achish. When Achish asked, 'Where have you made a raid today?' David would say, 'Against the Negeb of Judah, or against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites, or against the Negeb of the Kenites.'" | Possible geographic reference for Telem (Telaim is often equated, also south). |
| 1 Kgs 4:7 | "Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel..." | Detailed administrative lists in Kings reflect previous detailed records like land distribution. |
| Ps 78:55 | "He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a heritage and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents." | God's action in dispossessing and allocating land. |
| Neh 11:25-30 | "And for the villages with their open lands, some of the people of Judah lived in Kiriath-arba and its villages, in Dibon and its villages, in Jekabzeel and its villages, and in Jeshua, in Moladah, in Beth-pelet, in Hazar-shual, in Beersheba and its villages, in Ziklag, in Mekonah and its villages, in En-rimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth, in Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and its open lands, Azekah and its open lands. So they encamped from Beersheba to the Valley of Hinnom." | Post-exilic lists show continued tribal identity tied to specific places. |
| Isa 40:8 | "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." | God's meticulous fulfillment highlights the enduring nature of His word. |
| Acts 7:4-5 | "Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child." | New Testament perspective on the long-term fulfillment of God's land promise to Abraham. |
Joshua 15 verses
Joshua 15 24 Meaning
Joshua 15:24 meticulously lists three specific cities—Ziph, Telem, and Bealoth—as part of the tribal inheritance of Judah. This verse, embedded within a detailed geographical record, underscores the precise and ordered fulfillment of God's promise to Israel regarding the land of Canaan, emphasizing the literal bestowal of defined territories upon each tribe.
Joshua 15 24 Context
Joshua chapter 15 meticulously details the tribal inheritance assigned to Judah, the largest and most prominent of the tribes of Israel. This chapter follows the conquest narratives and the general allocation instructions, focusing specifically on Judah's extensive territory. It begins by delineating the intricate boundaries of Judah (vv. 1-12), then recounts Caleb's special inheritance (vv. 13-19). Verses 20-62 then provide an exhaustive list of 112 cities, divided into four geographical districts or "lots" within Judah's territory. Verse 24 is part of the first lot of cities, identified as belonging to the Negeb, the arid southern region of Judah (vv. 21-32). These detailed lists served as legal and administrative documents, vital for defining ownership, taxation, and tribal identity in the newly possessed land. They demonstrate the literal fulfillment of God's centuries-old covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give their descendants the land of Canaan as an enduring inheritance.
Joshua 15 24 Word analysis
"Ziph" (צִיף - Tsîyph)
- Meaning: Related to "to flow, to run."
- Significance: There are at least two towns named Ziph associated with Judah. The one in this verse (Josh 15:24) is located in the Negeb (southern desert), suggesting it's distinct from the more well-known Ziph in the hill country (Josh 15:55) near Maon, where David hid from Saul (1 Sam 23:14, 24; 26:1). This distinction highlights the specific, detailed geographical knowledge being conveyed and the precise nature of the allocation. The naming of specific, even if lesser-known, towns attests to the factual historical record of land division.
"Telem" (טֶלֶם - Ṭelem)
- Meaning: "Oppression" or possibly related to "ravine." It might also be connected to Telaim (1 Sam 15:4), where Saul mustered his army before attacking the Amalekites.
- Significance: Its placement in the Negeb group aligns with a southern locale, likely an outpost or area on the fringes of settled land. If related to Telaim, it indicates a place suitable for gathering armies, highlighting strategic or defensive aspects of Judah's inheritance. Its sparse appearance in other texts makes its precise identification challenging but reaffirms the specificity of the listing.
"Bealoth" (בְּעָלוֹת - Beʻālōwth)
- Meaning: Plural form of "Baal" (בעל), meaning "possessors," "lords," or "mistresses."
- Significance: Like many Canaanite place names (e.g., Baal-Peor, Baal-Hazor), "Bealoth" likely retains an earlier name incorporating "Baal," possibly referring to a local deity or simply denoting "possessions/places of X." This doesn't inherently imply continued Israelite Baal worship in that location, but rather the retention of existing names from the former Canaanite inhabitants. Its mention here demonstrates that Israel inherited existing named places, often reflecting the prior culture, even as they dispossessed it and established God's law. This emphasizes the appropriation of existing geography rather than the creation of entirely new settlements and names for every site.
"Ziph, Telem, Bealoth" (as a group)
- This triplet of names represents part of the meticulously recorded inheritance for Judah. The specificity of naming each town, even those of obscure significance or little subsequent mention in other biblical narratives, emphasizes the tangible and undeniable fulfillment of God's promise to Israel. These lists serve as legal documents, underscoring the divine ordination of their territorial boundaries and the careful provision made for His chosen people, ensuring that every piece of the promised land was accounted for and allotted according to divine design.
Joshua 15 24 Bonus section
The exhaustive lists of cities in Joshua, like those found in chapter 15, provide remarkable historical and archaeological anchors. Scholars and archaeologists utilize these precise details to map ancient settlements, trace tribal boundaries, and understand the administrative structure of early Israel. The level of detail found in these chapters, covering districts, villages, and specific towns, is highly unusual for ancient Near Eastern documents, lending significant credibility to the biblical account of the Israelite settlement. Even when specific sites for Telem or Bealoth are hard to pinpoint today, the sheer quantity and consistent organization of these lists across different regions of Judah, Benjamin, Simeon, and other tribes reflect an authoritative survey, meticulously carried out during the period of settlement. This reinforces the theological message: God's plans are executed with divine precision and completeness.
Joshua 15 24 Commentary
Joshua 15:24, with its seemingly simple list of three cities, is a profound testament to the meticulous detail and unwavering faithfulness of God in fulfilling His covenant promises. Far from being a mere dry geographical enumeration, this verse is a vital record demonstrating the tangible, piece-by-piece possession of the land that God had sworn to Abraham centuries earlier. It underscores the precision of divine providence, showing that God's word is not a vague declaration but a specific, verifiable act, even down to the named towns within tribal borders. These lists served not only as historical documentation but also as future legal basis for land ownership and tribal identity within Israel. The inclusion of less prominent or uniquely named towns like Ziph (in the Negeb), Telem, and Bealoth reinforces the comprehensive nature of the allocation, affirming that every designated part of the inheritance was accounted for. It reveals God as an orderly and faithful King who precisely divides the land for His people according to His righteous will and sovereign plan. This verse invites reflection on the fact that even the most seemingly mundane details in Scripture can point to God's profound character and the absolute reliability of His word.